Here’s a low-prep list of jingle bell songs and activities for PreK and Kindergarten that you can use any time of year! Most of these Pre-K jingle bell activities can also be used with shaker eggs.
“Jingle Bell Bees” by Hap Palmer
I love using “Jingle Bell Bees” with all of my early childhood music levels. It’s not available on YouTube, but it can be found on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. This song has three sections, and the form is ABC, ABC, AB. If you’d like a premade music lesson that features this song, you can find it here!
- Intro – jingle bells rest on the floor
- A (upbeat) – tap 8th notes with the bells against the palm of the opposite hand
- B (la la la) – fly the jingle bees in the air while seated
- C (slow feel) – tap bells on knees (alternate left, right), tap on every other beat (2&4 or 1&3)
- A – tap against chest, near the opposite shoulder
- B – they may stand to fly the jingle bees if you’d like
- C – tap bells on knees (alternate left, right)
- A – tap bells on shoes or any other location of your choice
- B – as the song fades, walk by with a bin to collect the bells
“Shake It, Don’t Break It” by Clifton Chenier
This is a humorous way to introduce the instruments. Go over how to play the different types of bells and how not to play them. In other words, shake them, don’t break them! This song is a good way to have the kids explore the bells. Give them the freedom to shake away. After a bit, they can even stand up walk around the room in a jingle parade, or you can have each child take a turn demonstrating how they “shake it.” Adding Zydeco to your lessons is also great if your kids have never heard it. There’s a faster version by the Zydeco Hounds that you can use for freeze dance. Older students can listen to and compare the two versions. There are differences in tempo, instrumentation, backup vocals, intro/outro, and more.
“Shake Those Bells” by Lynn Kleiner
Lynn has a wealth of resources for early childhood. I like this song because it’s an easy way to introduce the bells to toddlers and pre-k. For “Around We Go,” I have the kids draw a big circle with their bells if they are seated. Lynn has kids spin if they are standing. This can be a fun one to personalize by taking suggestions from the kids as to what they would do for the words ” high,” “low,” and “around we go.”
I Love to Hear the Sounds by Kathy Reid-Naiman
I found out about Kathy’s music from Moriah at HolmesSweetMusicHome. Kathy’s album, I Love to Hear the Sounds, is full of classroom instrument songs for littles. Here’s a YouTube playlist of the album. I’ll list several jingle bell songs below!
“Jingle, Jingle Little Bell” by Super Simple Songs
“Shake Your Bell in the Air” by Jbary
This is a storytime song performed by 2 librarians to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.” I don’t recommend playing the video, but you won’t need it for this piggyback song. The lyrics can be found in the video description.
“Shake Break” by Pancake Manor
I have never heard of Pancake Manor, but I found this 1-minute song and thought it would be perfect for jingle bells (or shaker eggs). This would be a good one to end the lesson on a fun note. Just shake the bells on “shake” and do the other movements like jump and turn. They could practice this by sitting on the floor first and shaking their bells as if they were people, then having their bells jump and turn before standing up and trying it with their whole bodies. The ending is weak, so I say, “Tuuurn aaaaround…sit down!”
“Put Your Instruments Away” by Ella Jenkins
This is a nice, calm song to use during transitions. The kids know where to place used instruments in my room, and while they are doing that and returning to their seats, I can prep the next activity.
I hope this list is useful for a handful or just one jingle bell song activity. Happy jingling! If you are looking for more Preschool and K activities, you can find them in my shop.
